Blossom

Dou Zhao instructed Su Xin, "If Mr. Tao returns..." Ordinary people faced with such a situation would typically react in one of two ways: either rise in furious defiance, fighting tooth and nail to clear their name, or tremble in fear, choosing to avoid confrontation and silently endure the humiliation like a blind man eating glutinous rice balls—knowing the truth but keeping it to themselves.

She needed to assess which path Tao Qizhong would take.

Su Xin responded with a smile, "Understood."

A young maid entered and announced, "The wives of your eldest, sixth, tenth, and eleventh uncles have come to visit you."

Only then did Dou Zhao remember that today was the ninth day since her wedding. According to custom, her maternal family would bring gifts to show their care and concern.

"Please escort them to the Reception Hall," Dou Zhao instructed the maid. As Gan Lu helped her change into more formal attire, she asked Su Xin, "Still no news from the Young Lord?"

Song Mo had entered the palace on the afternoon of the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month, originally scheduled to stand night duty for two days before returning. Yet, he had not emerged from the palace since.

Dou Zhao had been deeply worried at the time.

After all, Song Mo's marriage to her had slighted the imperial family. Though he had cleverly shifted the blame onto Song Yichun, who could guarantee the Emperor wouldn’t vent his anger on him?

She immediately sent Wuyi to gather information.

Wuyi returned and reported, "The palace gates are heavily guarded inside and out. I spotted Bao Liu, the page who often accompanies the heir of Guang'en Manor, also inquiring about his master’s whereabouts. But he was barred from entering. Even invoking his title as Deputy Commander of the Golden Guard proved useless. He then demanded to see Metropolitan Commander Shao Wenji, but the guards on duty sneered, saying they were from the Divine Pivot Camp and asked if he’d like them to take him to their Metropolitan Commander, Lord Wang. Bao Liu flushed with anger but could only retreat in embarrassment. Seeing this, I feared bringing dishonor to our Young Lord’s name and didn’t dare approach directly. Instead, I took a detour and intercepted Bao Liu, pretending it was a chance encounter. That’s how I learned that since the Young Lord entered the palace, not only the Golden Guard but even the Standard Bearer Guard haven’t rotated shifts—they’ve all been stationed inside the palace."

Dou Zhao sighed in relief and asked Wuyi, "Does the Young Lord often encounter situations like this?"

Wuyi scratched his head. "I was only assigned to serve the Young Lord three years ago. I don’t know about before, but in my time, this is the second occurrence."

Hearing this, Dou Zhao’s heart clenched again.

Twice in three years meant this wasn’t a regular occurrence.

She pressed Wuyi, "When was the last time?"

"It was just before the Young Lord’s wedding," he recalled. "Around mid-eighth month, after the Emperor returned from the summer retreat."

Dou Zhao immediately realized—the Emperor might be ill!

In her past life, far removed from the circles of power, she had only heard abruptly of the Emperor’s illness. Liao Wang, renowned for his filial piety, had begged to return to the capital to attend to his father, but Liang Jifen had refused. It was only after the Crown Prince interceded that Liao Wang was permitted to return. Then came the palace coup... Everyone was left stunned, trembling in fear, not daring to breathe. The entire Fugui Lane shut its doors to visitors, becoming as desolate as an abandoned city.

After Liao Wang ascended the throne, rumors spread in Fugui Lane that the Emperor had merely caught a slight chill—nothing serious—and that Liao Wang had orchestrated his death.

Now, it seemed those rumors were unfounded.

The Emperor was already ill at this point.Could this be one of the reasons why Liao Wang dared to seize the throne?

What illness does the Emperor have?

In her past life, the Emperor passed away ten months after Liao Wang ascended the throne.

Dou Zhao frowned deeply.

Since Yan Chaoqing was Song Mo’s top adviser, he must know some clues.

Should she wait for Song Mo to return and ask him about the Emperor’s condition, or should she go to Yan Chaoqing now to get to the bottom of it?

Dou Zhao hesitated.

A page came in and reported, “There’s an official from the Divine Pivot Camp, sent by the heir, delivering a letter to Madam.”

Dou Zhao quickly said, “Please invite Master Yan to receive the guest.”

The page acknowledged and left.

After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Yan Chaoqing brought the letter in.

Dou Zhao eagerly opened it.

It turned out to be a letter assuring her of his safety.

It said that there was an incident in the palace, and he might not return for a few days. She shouldn’t worry and should take care of herself. If anything came up, she should discuss it with Master Yan, and so on.

Since he could still send a letter out, it showed Song Mo had considerable freedom.

Only then did the heavy stone in Dou Zhao’s heart finally settle.

Noticing Yan Chaoqing standing respectfully nearby, waiting for her instructions, she thought for a moment and then smiled, sharing a few key points from the letter with him.

Yan Chaoqing’s expression relaxed, and he comforted her with a smile, “Perhaps the Emperor’s illness has flared up again. The Empress fears any leaks, so all Imperial Army personnel are forbidden from rotating shifts or changing duties.”

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but wipe her forehead.

Was it because the Duke of Yingguo’s Mansion was too close to imperial power, or because the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion was too far from it? Even Yan Chaoqing knew about the Emperor’s illness...

Over the next few days, Dou Zhao kept pondering this matter.

She had only heard of the Song family’s prominence before, but she never imagined it was to this extent.

Should she reassess some things?

The reason Duke Zhongyi received such a posthumous title was because he had painstakingly overseen the Crown Prince’s studies. Since Song Mo had studied under Duke Zhongyi since childhood, he must be very familiar with the Crown Prince.

Dou Zhao stood before the long table in the hall.

On it was placed a pair of hardwood Ruyi scepters.

They were bestowed by the Crown Prince when Song Mo married her.

Apart from this, no other imperial gifts had been given.

What kind of person was the Crown Prince?

In her memory, the Crown Prince had always been just a vague title.

In her past life, when Song Mo drew his bow and aimed at the Crown Prince, what had he been thinking?

Could this be related to Duke Ding’s death?

Dou Zhao’s thoughts were in turmoil, and she had never longed more for Song Mo’s return than now.

Realizing they had been married for nine days, she couldn’t help but inquire about Song Mo’s whereabouts again.

Dou Zhao never hid anything from Su Xin, who naturally understood her worries about sudden misfortunes. Hearing the question, Su Xin’s eyes dimmed slightly as she whispered, “Still no news.”

After a moment of silence, Dou Zhao went to the Reception Hall.

The youngest branch often produced the elders.

Dou Wenchang’s wife, the First Madam of the Dou family, was twenty-five years older than Dou Zhao and already in her forties. The Sixth Madam, Guo Shi, and the Tenth Madam, Cai Shi, were in their prime, while Han Shi was still in the bloom of youth.

When Dou Zhao entered the Reception Hall, Guo Shi was sitting on a grand chair with a smile, chatting with the First Madam and the visibly pregnant Han Shi. Cai Shi, meanwhile, was admiring the calligraphy and paintings hanging in the hall with two maids.

“Fourth Paternal Aunt is here,” Guo Shi said as soon as she saw Dou Zhao, rising to greet her.

Hearing the commotion, the First Madam and Han Shi also stood up.Dou Zhao hurried forward to support Han Shi: "You're carrying precious cargo now, please sit down, sit down! Be careful not to disturb the baby."

Cai Shi, who had walked over, laughed at this and teased Dou Zhao: "Our paternal aunt has only been married for a few days and already knows phrases like 'disturb the baby'!" Her tone was heavily playful.

Unfortunately, First Madam wasn't familiar with Dou Zhao and maintained the dignity of being the eldest grandson's wife, merely smiling. Guo Shi had never liked Cai Shi's chatter and didn't respond. Han Shi, who was naturally reserved and somewhat upright, didn't appreciate the teasing in Cai Shi's words and thus remained silent as well. For a moment, an awkward silence fell over the group. This was a first for the usually eloquent and praised Cai Shi, and her smile became somewhat strained. But ever bold in speech and action, she immediately laughed and said, "Originally, Seventh Uncle only invited Eldest Sister-in-law, Sixth Sister-in-law, and me to see you. Who knew Sixth Aunt would insist on having Eleventh Sister-in-law accompany us, saying she was worried and had to send her along. As if Eldest Sister-in-law and I would whitewash the truth. No wonder everyone says our paternal aunt is like Sixth Aunt's own daughter—now I truly believe it." This broke the earlier awkwardness.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

That Cai Shi could act so boldly in Huai Tree Lane clearly wasn't just because she had borne two sons.

Dou Zhao smilingly invited her sisters-in-law from her maiden family to sit, chatted with them for a while, kept them for lunch, and then accompanied them for a stroll. Before they knew it, it was already dusk.

Cai Shi couldn't stop praising: "No wonder everyone says our paternal aunt married well. Just the fact that there's no mother-in-law above you and you can decide household matters yourself is already the best thing." Her envy was palpable.

Hearing this, Dou Zhao's expression darkened. "As the saying goes, an elder at home is like a treasure. Though I have freedom and no one to answer to, having to make every decision myself can sometimes be daunting. It's still better to have an elder at home."

First Madam and Han Shi nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Cai Shi, however, grumbled inwardly.

This was truly like patting a horse's leg and missing the mark... This paternal aunt was really hard to please!

But remembering that The Duke of England's Mansion was one of the most prestigious noble households in the Capital, she suppressed her dissatisfaction and nodded with a bright smile.

Seeing that it was getting late, First Madam smilingly bid Dou Zhao farewell.

Dou Zhao didn't stand on ceremony and saw them off to the Hanging Flower Gate.

She had just returned to her room, changed clothes, and settled down when Song Mo came back.

Unconsciously, Dou Zhao went out to greet him.

Song Mo happened to lift the curtain and enter.

Dou Zhao quickly asked, "Do you need to return to the palace?"

Song Mo was momentarily taken aback before replying, "No. I have leave tomorrow and will return to the palace the afternoon after."

For some reason, Dou Zhao felt a weight lift from her heart.

Noticing Song Mo was still wearing the court robes from when he had entered the palace, she instructed the maids to fetch water for him to wash up while saying, "How are things at the palace? Should I prepare some clothes for Chen He to carry so you can change when needed?"

On his way back, Song Mo had been wondering what it would be like to see Dou Zhao again.

With no other female relatives at home and few acquaintances in the Capital, would she be bored?

With him away, he didn't know if Father had given her a hard time.

As his wife, even if Father did trouble her, Yan Chaoqing and the others couldn't easily intervene.

Would she regret marrying him?To his utter surprise, when he returned home, he was met with a Dou Zhao who was calm, composed, and even a bit domestic.

Yet this version of Dou Zhao made Song Mo feel at ease.

"The palace is quite comfortable. It was the Empress who was worried, so she kept us all there," he explained with a smile. "As close aides to the Emperor, we have dedicated bathhouses in the palace. Though I don’t have my own duty room, I do have a cabinet for my clothes and bedding, and there are people who help air them out regularly..."

Dou Zhao nodded, taking the court robes Song Mo had changed out of and handing them to Su Xin. She let the maidservants attend to his washing while she sat on the kang, pondering his words.